Volunteers
Many of the families who come to Camp Jojo simply cannot go on holiday without support. They do not have enough hands to keep all of their children entertained, whilst meeting their child’s medical or other needs, whilst cooking meals, and transporting all of their equipment around with them. Parents of children with complex needs rarely come back from a holiday feeling relaxed and refreshed. This is where our volunteers come in! Camp Jojo is only possible because of the many amazing volunteers who give up their time to help families enjoy what would otherwise be stressful, exhausting and in many cases, impossible.
We are looking for volunteers with a range of skills to fulfil the following roles:
Family Support
Usually working in pairs, family volunteers are assigned to a family to support them all to enjoy their holiday. This includes parents and siblings too! You might be taking the children to do activities whilst the parents have a break, you might be helping them at meal times, helping with personal care, and generally being a spare pair of hands, or being a supportive listening ear.
Please note, volunteers will never be left alone with a child, they are not able to administer medication and parental responsibility remains with parents at all times.
Catering
Working in a team of 4 -5, preparing 3 meals a day, plus facilitating tea and coffee breaks. Parents often comment on how much this means to them and seeing a smiling face at breakfast can set the mood for their day!
Provide or Lead Activities
Some volunteers have specialist activities that they are able to provide such as music, bushcraft, sports, circus skills, pottery or even didgeridoo making! Other activity volunteers are able to use our resources to lead games, messy play or arty activities. Please let us know if you have any specialist activities that you would be able to provide at camp.
Photography
We have one professional standard or experienced amateur photographer at each camp, ensuring that all of the special memories are captured, meaning that families don’t have to worry about taking photos themselves!
In addition one volunteer with each family will have a camera to take special moment photos as families want!
Site Maintenance
Putting up tents, marquees and preparing the site before families arrive, keeping the site clean and tidy during camp, fixing equipment as needed, and helping to pack and clear up when the camp finishes. DIY skills are very useful in this role!
Above all, we are looking for volunteers with energy, enthusiasm, patience and a basic understanding of the social model of disability. Camp Jojo is a community where ‘everybody can’, and we need our volunteers to exemplify this and empower children and families.
Each camp lasts for 3 days. We require our volunteers to be on site by 9am on the first day of their camp. Volunteers will be able to leave by 4pm on the final day of their camp. Check out our camp dates for 2024 in the application section below.
Young Volunteers
We accept volunteers from age 14 and value being intergenerational. Please note, volunteers under the age of 18 will be required to be accompanied by a parent/carer who is also volunteering. We do expect our young volunteers to join in and help out just as much as everyone else. We are also able to provide references for young volunteers who are applying for work or university courses.
A camping experience for our volunteers too!
Most of our volunteers bring a tent and join in with the camping experience. We also have some individual volunteer tents and sleeping bags available to borrow. Some of our local volunteers prefer to go home in the evenings which is fine too, as long as you’re back by 8am ready for breakfast in the morning! (Catering volunteers need to arrive earlier than this to prepare breakfast).
What do we provide?
Camp Jojo provides volunteers with their food all weekend.
Our catering team do a delicious cooked breakfast, buffet lunch, hot evening meal, plus tea and coffee at any time! Please let us know if you have any dietary requirements and we’ll be happy to provide a range of options.
We can also lend you a Camp Jojo T-shirt for the duration of your camp, or you are welcome to buy one as a souvenir.
We are also able to cover travel expenses.
We do recommend thar you arrive the night before your camp starts, allowing you to get settled in and meet other volunteers before the orientation session starts at 9am the following morning. We will provide an evening meal and breakfast for anyone who chooses to arrive the night before.
We hope that you will come away with lots of happy memories, new friends, and a sense of pride in what you have helped families to achieve.
Applications
Applications for 2024 are now closed.
If you are interested in volunteering in 2025, please email information@campjojo.org.uk.
Applications Process
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Complete our application form online (paper copies can be available on request)
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A member of our team will contact you to arrange an interview if you are a new volunteer, or to confirm your camp dates for returning volunteers.
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If successful at interview, new volunteers will be required to complete an enhanced DBS (paid for by Camp Jojo) and complete two online training sessions. A member of our team will also contact your references.
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All volunteers must complete the online safeguarding training, including returning volunteers.
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Nearer the time of camp all volunteers will be sent the Volunteer Handbook, which contains lots of practical information and our policies, which you must read. Our policies are also available on our website.
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A week before camp, your camp leader will contact you to introduce themselves, answer any last minute questions, and let you know which family you will be supporting, or what other role you might be doing. Please be aware that we may need you to be flexible in your role, as families or other volunteers may need to cancel at the last minute. We will need you to be part of the team, work together and follow directions from camp leaders when these situations arise.
"Camp Jojo is special and one of a kind because it has heart and soul!"
- Volunteer